India approves deployment of armed security contractors to fend off pirates

INDIA has issued guidelines for deployment of armed security contractors aboard Indian ships, clearing the way for shipowners to deploy them, reports Newark's Journal of Commerce.

Other steps the government has taken to address piracy in the Gulf of Aden include naval patrols, participation in the Contact Group on Piracy off the coast of Somalia and other international gatherings, and creation of an inter-ministerial forum to deal with hostage situations that may arise.

India's Daily News and Analysis (DNA) said pirate attacks off Somalia dropped to zero for the first full month since armed guards were deployed.

There has been no successful hijack since June 19 when a fishing dhow was seized, and no ship has been fired on, or a boarding attempted since June 26, when a Maltese-flagged cargo ship was attacked, according to data from the International Maritime Bureau (IMB).

This marks the longest unbroken stretch of peaceful transit through the waters off Somalia, and was attributed to the increased use of armed guards on ships and international naval patrols, reports DNA.

More than 30 warships from the Royal Navy, the US Navy, the EU and NATO countries, Russia, China and India currently patrol the sea off the Horn of Africa, covering more than one million square miles.

"We've learnt a lot about piracy and we're being a great deal more proactive in disrupting their activities," said the RN's Rear Admiral Duncan Potts, commander of the EU naval contingent.

The new tactics involve helicopter gunship attacks on pirate logistics bases onshore for the first time, and targeting teams in "pirate action groups".

Ships' masters have been taught how to accelerate to evade attack. Hulls are now festooned with barbed wire and powerful water hoses to deter pirates who try to climb aboard.

"All this has come at the same time as the quantum increase in the use of private security contractors, who have to date had a 100 per cent success rate preventing hijacks," said Admiral Potts.